Oliver Sacks calls Alix Kates Shulman’s latest book “An extraordinary and important book.” I agree. To Love What Is is Shulman’s (author of Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen) account of a life-altering night when her beloved husband fell from their sleeping loft in their remote cabin in Maine. Many harrowing encounters with the health care [...]
Archive for September, 2008
To Love What Is…
Posted in books, cultural phenom, public education, tagged alix kates shulman, brain injury, caregiving, memory loss on September 26, 2008 |
“Blissful?”
Posted in cultural phenom, public education, tagged alzheimer's, blissful, forget memory, pleasant dementia, Sara Davidson on September 18, 2008 |
Sara Davidson’s essay in Newsweek on Sept. 13th tells the tale of her mother’s experience with dementia. Rather than become more cantankerous, her mother experienced a “blissful” dementia, one in which she was rather pleased with the world she imagined herself to be in. Every journey into/through dementia is unique, but Davidson’s piece asks us [...]
New, Joint Blog on Alternative Views on Alzheimer’s
Posted in cultural phenom, public education, Uncategorized, tagged alternative views on Alzheimer's, dementia, Jesse Ballenger on September 16, 2008 |
Thanks to Jesse Ballenger for herding the cats and getting together a joint blog of those who share similiar views on dementia and Alzheimer’s. Hopefully, together we can encourage more people to think a little differently about the disease and those wrestling with it.
The Mystery of Presence/Absence
Posted in cultural phenom, public education, tagged alzheimer's, does she remember me? dementia, when people forget you on September 16, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Does she know me? Yes. No. A flitter of recognition. A distant stare. It’s one of the core mysteries of Alzheimer’s and other dementias…and one beautifully encapsulated by a short essay in the NYT’s today. A perfect piece for staff, family, students, doctors to read to get a glimpse into the lived reality of the [...]
Strange Bedfellows for Change
Posted in cultural phenom, disability, tagged alzheimer's, dementia, disability, insurance on September 16, 2008 | 1 Comment »
I gave a talk last week to a group of folks in the insurance industry. Usually the only thing you hear about this crowd is that they are out to deny claims. But this group was very thoughtful and just might be part of the shift in the way we think about dementia. Rather than [...]
